The Shortlist for April 22

James Franco continues to make great progress toward his goal of becoming the single most over-achieving soap star in history. Although he's currently pursuing a Ph.D. in English at Yale, an official at the University of Houston has confirmed that the actor also is set to enroll in a Ph.D. program in literature and creative writing at U of H. Since he's teaching a course at New York University this fall, he won't begin his studies until the fall of 2012 -- which should leave him plenty of time to publish a second book of short stories, maybe pick up another MFA or two and blaze up prepare to host the next major entertainment industry shindig. (E!)

James Franco continues to make great progress toward his goal of becoming the single most over-achieving soap star in history. Although he's currently pursuing a Ph.D. in English at Yale, an official at the University of Houston has confirmed that the actor also is set to enroll in a Ph.D. program in literature and creative writing at U of H. Since he's teaching a course at New York University this fall, he won't begin his studies until the fall of 2012 -- which should leave him plenty of time to publish a second book of short stories, maybe pick up another MFA or two and blaze up prepare to host the next major entertainment industry shindig. (E!)